Combination contact device



Patented Oct. 2l, 1924.

UNITED STATES iiti PATENT OFFEJE.

FRANK C. DE BEAMER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT. ASSIGNOR TO GENE}. TRICCOMPANY. A CORPORATION O'F NEW YORK.

COMBINATION CONTACT DEVICE.

Application ied October 21, 1921.

To all ic/zom it may concern.:

Be it known that I. FRANK C. DE Ranma. a citizen of the Vnited States.residinp` at Bridgeport. in they count)v ot' Fairfield. State ol'(lonnecticut. have invented certain new and useful improvements inCombination Contact Devices. of which the followingr is a specification.

There are on the market. broadly speakingr` three kinds ot attachmentplug caps. one having parallel blades thru which the electrical circuitis established. the second. tandem blades. and the third. a combinationof the two precedin; r types.

lt is highly desirablf` that the receptacles which are to receive thesecaps shall be of such a character that the different caps can be usedinterchangeably. Owing to the fact that the blades in different types otcaps 0ccupv planes at right angles to each other. and to the furthertact that the receivingr devices are necessarily small. the problem isto devise suitable fixed contact devices or clips which will receive allof said tvpcs ot blades with equal facilitv. which will not Work loose,which will afford ample contact surfaces to establish the proper circuitconnections aLl which will have long lite in service. A

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction offixed contacts or clips for attachment plug4 cap receptacles.

For a consideration ot what I believe to be novel and my invention.attention is directed t0 the accompanying description and claimsappended thereto.

In the drawing. which is illustrative, ot one of the embodiments of myinvention. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wall receptacle adapted toreceive an attachment plug cap having' tandem blades or parallel bladesor a combination of such blades; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of anattachment plug cap havin,f Y tandem blades: Fig. 8 is a similar view ofa cap having1r parallel blades: Fig. 4 is a perspective View of anattachment plut: which is itself adapted to be screwed into a lampsocket or other receptacle and is capable of receiving caps ot differenttypes: Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a receptacle showing thearrangement ot' my improved contact device or clip therein; Fig. 6 is aplan view of the same, the upper half of the receptacle being removed;Fig. 7 is a. perspective view of a contact device or clip and Serial Noy509,344,

also of parts of tandem and parallel blades. and Fig. S is a plan viev`ot the sheet metal blank troni which the contanti device is matic. thelast two figures heini; on a greatly enlarged scale t'or the purposes otiili1st 'ation.

9 indicates the base portion oi' a receptacle which :nav be made in anysuitable manner. l() indicates the insulating top or removable portion.the latter 'twine` provided with two opposed T-siiapcd opti ti. Thewalls or" thtl openings are slightlyy larger than the blader on theattachment pli.;r caps and preterablj.- the limiti contacts or el. 1 arelocated below the t'ront surface or tace so as to prevent danmr to aperson' *from electrical shocks and also to prevent; improperconnections. The vertical parts ot' thc T slots are arranged to receivebe 'ten dem blades. and i`hc hori7ontai. the paraiiei blades. rl`heconstruction :dao i use ot` a combination ptoii cai: e' one blade ot"the, so--caliw1 tanden; 'type one ot' the socallel parallel type. a bereadilyT understood.

The removable part in addition tf; l'orfn ingr a flat seat tor theattachment plug cap is provided with screw terminals i2 and il to whichthe line conductors are fastened. The said part is also provided withslotted clips 14 (onljvY oney bein;T shown). b v means of which theria'eptacle can be mounted in an outlet or jui'iction box.

ln Fig. 2 is. dnrwn in insulating.t cap iii having two blades 1Garranged 'in tandei'n. each blade beine' provided with a lwnt-over endand a screw 1T to connect it to one part of a current cari-viner cable.The. cable or cord is admitted to the cap thru the hole i8. The capshown in Figi. is similar to the one shown in Fig. .2 except that theblades i6 are arranged in parallel. To preventy thc .small strands otwire in the cord from gettingr in the. path of the blades a thin sheetof insulation 19 may be slipped over the blades and seated on the In thecase ot the tandem blades each is provided with a small V-shapcd notch"20 which en gages a part ot the fixed contact. to form a, locking;`device and also serves as a part of a seatingr means. In the case of thepar-allai blades each is previo -d with a small ope-ning 21 for the samepurpose.

In Fig. 4 is Shown a plug 22 that has a screw threaded metal shell 23and is adapted to be screwed into a lamp socket or other properly formedreceptacle. In this een "ztion the shell 23 forms one side of the inuit,and e grenier eilninal 22a the other. he iront face ofthe plug is madefiat to .torni e, t Em a wip mil has double op- ;ffieed 'T l finedmints.

lefe the combination Ponte is desirable to make le without, however, si.M L. .t ontnet area neeessay to the current Witlio'ut appreciable losson the one lumai or [influe wear on ille other. t its also iieigmftentto reiluee the number of parte' to Il1rininn1f-" n :zml avoid joints. Tomeet these conditions the mutant is formed of sin fle sheet metal blankand Without jo lhe blank @an eflventiigeously be matie of eff materielsuch :le phosphor loewe. The bleek ie of the shape illustrated m isili'mi 'termed by :i blunlinn (he.

lvszt ii; te x titi-ee arni and l e-izf'h s :v: their innerenfls. Thenaz-*n irs meile eomewhet wider than the nhere beeeise an inner endportion of it ferme; the heee of the tiniehefi '4t-lip. The arms il@finti 2T are each proviflei with a omxfled lecliieg 'projection which.www

intiem-2 lie in the plone of the ingre' :mii

the V-slieeeil notch 1330 in the lli Uf Fili) el Y@ l are prete-mhh; sopoeitimewi that *y 't g resfgmie of@ file blmlee in cilii'eetiontending; to met' the can towei'fi n' :eat .Af the jametion in" bhe ofthe neme t e ami hiee emitnet ingeze all efctexil" ing at right amg eebese emi thex'et'm'e i n the Send: enmil iiir'eelion, The ellen-.45:

" "ne Het violiif #i Mee te enum fini: the iflanh' in the ft ,omen i1,very sie@ mercati tirez; form said offsets and then bend; the einem to.the @lesitefi Shape. The fingere and "ll" occupy perellelgivlnnee nlWinle the finger T353 ne wies a which of the other efeff iii e whenifi-ille'l are nmn' i. im their me ,i'lpporig wl ther it he the fmeehownin i L l er Fig. for* keine@ Lich if #anni in pieve by n miele squarenot i the laeir' hein," eleive if; le A vezfml fiom rife .le by the haveo arme or limi-ere e the een@ ei" arnese, edvantegefgms in structures.

One of these clips is eleetriimlly connected to the terminal l2 by aconductor 12, and the other to terminal i3 by the comlueter lila, in theCase of the eonstruL-ton shown in Fig. i. ln the case of theconstruction shown in Fig. 4 one clip is eleetrically eonneeted to thescrew shell '23 and the other to the central terminal 22a.

On pushing the blades of the attachment cap of Fig. 2 into place in thereceptacle each blade i6 is engaged by the Contact fingers 26 and andthe rounded locking projection 28 on the finger 27 enten!"N the V-Shapednotch 2l) in the blade from the Side and prevents the blade 'from beingraccidentally displaced. It also aids in establishing the Circuitconnection because itis 'foieed against the blade by the Spring pressureof the finger itself. When the blades of the cap of Fig. 3 are pushedinto pieve they pase between the fingers enelV 2? of each clip and arealso engaged by the edges of lingers 26, and the projection 2S. thereonenter the holes Q1 and leek the blades.

.le aeeerdnnee with the previsione of the pula-nt Statutes, l havedesm'ibeil. the prineinle of operation of my invention, together withthe appiwetns which 'new eonfsifler to i'ejnesenil the beet emboilimentthereof; but l :lenire to have it unciei'stood thfit the appan tue Shownis only illustrative and that the intention een be Carried ont by othermeans.

lVlmt l' claim es new :mit ileeire lo se eme if); Letters Patent of theUnited States., is:

l. ln a plug .i'eoeptmrlfa e, eonteot member im' weeivieg plug eoneetblades, seid eenm-t member compriei. e re1tzx.nmler bese pe tion andthree een fingere intePi-:il tiwewith f'fxlienfling eubnteniially@expendio uiailv therefrom in the seme direetion, each et .wifi fingerejoining the at and along :s Sey'vmzzte edge therein? whereby two of:miti fingers lie in parallel planes with the remaining' finger' l Y ine. piene. att right ingles to ezxifl film cenit. it hleiie influx.. nflintegz'fti with Y. nl? '.ifles o? o? will lingers. each oi saidpiojeetonf; iying in the of the finger with Whieh it ii'itegmi.

2. in a plug 2'eeeptreflel Pomati' men'fbers for renewing ping eontmftblzuiee. veel), of snirl eonmet n'sembeis n ej m'ine niet metal nfloznpising 1. be@ gmrtiov uitweg iv :at pinete migre thereof whereby twoof saifi line'es lie m parallel planes with the finger lying in e plaineat rightto said plen, one

of Seis 'mgers being wllel' their; and. overlying the two remainingfingers and said lastnamed fingers bein each provided with an integralcontact bla e locking projection.

, said fingers being of the same width as that portion of the base whichit joins and extending outwardly from the base perpendicularly thereto,and the remaining contact 'iingers each being provided with offset bendsbetween outer land inner end portions thereof, said end portions of eachfinger lying in planes perpendicular to the base portion and to theplanes of correspondin portions of the other finger, each of saidlastnamed contact lingers being provided with an integral contact bladelocking projection along one edge, such edge of the one corresponding tosuch edge of the other and the projections lying in the planes of lheirrespective fingers on the outer end poition of said fingers.

4. In a plug recepacle, a Contact member Sor receiving plug contactblades which lie in planes at right angles to and intersecting eachother, said contact member comprising a rectangular base portion havinga central perforation, three contact lingers integral with the baseportion, being formed therewith from a common sheet of metallic springmaterial and joining the base portion each at a separate edge and sidethereof, a

lfirst contact finger being substantially straight and extendingoutwardly from the base portion in a. plane substantially perpendicularto the base portion, a second contact linger extending outwardly fromthe base rtion in a plane substantially parallel with and adjacent thatof the first contact finger and being provided with an offset betweenits base end and its outer end whereby an outer end portion lies moreclosely arallel with and adjacent the first contact nger than theremaining portion thereof, a third contact finger extending outwardlyfrom the base portion in a plane substantially per ndicular thereto witha face adjacent an substantially parallel with the second contact fingerand an edge adjacent and substantially parallel with the first contactfinger, the third contact linger being provided with an oll'set betweenits base end and its outer end whereby an outer end portion lies moreclosely adj acent the second contact finger thanY the remaining portionthereof, a projecting blade locking means formed on an edge of andintegral with the outer end portion of the second contact fingeradjacent the third contact finger, and a. projecting blade lockingymeans formed on an edge of and i tegral with the outer end portion of te third contact linger adjacent the first contact l r, each ofsaidlocking means lying in t e plane of that portion of the contact fingeron which it is located.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set' my hand this 19th day ofOctober, 1921.'

FRANK C. DE BEAMER.

